In conjunction with Farmington Central Community Unit School District 265 and Spoon River College, the City of Farmington has established a Community Learning Center, with the first classroom slated to open next month.

SRC received a $63,800 "Bridging the Digital Divide" grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity this summer and those funds will be used to establish a classroom that focuses on technology skills in Farmington's municipal building. Funds from the grant will also be used for similar projects at SRC's other four campuses.

Carol Davis, vice president of community outreach at SRC, said Farmington's classes will begin in September.

"It will reach those we label as non-traditional students… (who are) looking to increase their technology skills," Davis said.

Non-traditional students are classified as older than 25, though she added that the classes are not limited to older students.

The first semester courses will cover Microsoft Office software. Because it is being funded through a grant, the classes will be offered free, Davis said.

The maximum number of people that will be allowed in each class will be six people, and Michelle Bugos will be the instructor. The courses will be three hours long.

After the first semester, SRC will evaluate community interest and the impact of the classes and decide what direction to take the Farmington courses. The second semester classes will focus on employment skills, according to Davis.

Currently, the college is working on retro-fitting the classroom for instructor and computer stations. Davis said the majority of the IT work is completed and they are waiting for the furniture to arrive.

The goal of the new classroom, Davis said, is to help Farmington residents find jobs and to help Farmington area employers to find applicants.

The building, located at 322 E. Fort St., is the former site of Chapman Junior High School and is utilized as the city building. There are seven empty rooms in the facility that city officials hope to use for the new learning center.

"We opened up the opportunity for anybody who might want to take a continuing education class," said City Administrator Rollen Wright.

According to Wright, the Community Learning Center will be utilized as a way for any person who wants to take non-credited courses. Classes offered will depend on community interest.

For example, Wright said, if a group of residents wanted to take a certain class, they could approach the city and the city would work towards finding an instructor. The courses could vary from woodworking to technology to art, he said.

"If there's interest, we would try to find an instructor for it," Wright said.